Tim Anderson’s miso ramen recipe

“The more ramen I eat, the more I’m drawn to miso ramen,” says chef Tim Anderson.

“Thanks to its complex tare and the many textures found in its stir-fried veg topping, it’s just so damn interesting. Cooking and plating are a little different for this one, so make sure you read the method below.”

Miso ramen

Ingredients:

For the broth (makes around 2.4L):
2tbsp vegetable oil or animal fat
50g fresh ginger root, thinly sliced
1 onion, quartered
1 garlic bulb, halved
250g chicken skin
250g chicken feet
800g chicken wings
1.5kg chicken frames, roughly chopped
≈3.5L water
4 bay leaves (optional)
1/2tsp white pepper

For the miso tar (makes 400g):
150g red miso
100g white miso
50g brown rice miso
2tbsp vegetable oil or animal fat
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
20g fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
6tbsp sake
1tbsp sesame oil
1tbsp sesame seeds, crushed
4tbsp single cream
4tbsp Ovaltine or malt powder
30g Parmesan or mature Cheddar, finely grated
1tbsp shoyu

For the garlic sesame oil (makes 80ml):
45ml vegetable oil or lard
60ml sesame oil
30g garlic (about 8 cloves), very thinly sliced

For the toppings (makes enough for 4 bowls):
1tbsp lard or vegetable oil
1/2 an onion, thinly sliced
100g minced meat (pork is typical but chicken, turkey or vegan mince work, too)
1/4 of an hispi or flat cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
1/2 a small carrot, cut into planks about 3mm thick
A big handful of bean sprouts
A few mangetout
1/4 of a red pepper, thinly sliced
A small pinch of salt and/or MSG (optional)
1tsp sesame oil, or aroma oil of your choice

Menma (tinned bamboo shoots)
Shredded spring onions (scallions) or leeks
Shop-bought noodles

Optional toppings:
Corn
Butter
Chilli oil
Spinach or wakame
Parmesan
Beni shōga (Red pickled ginger, sharp, sweet and artificially coloured. Good with tonkotsu)
Sesame seeds
Ajitama (ramen egg)

Method:

1. Make the broth: Heat the oil or fat in a roasting tray in a fan oven set to 200°C (425°F), then add all of the vegetables and chicken parts and roast for 40 minutes, turning everything once halfway through cooking. Remove the vegetables with tongs and set aside. Tip the chicken parts and any drippings from the tray into a stock pot and add the water (enough to cover) and bay leaves, and set over a high heat. Boil hard for four hours, topping up the water as needed to maintain the water level. After four hours, add the veg and the white pepper, and continue to boil for another two hours. In the final hour, stop topping up the water and allow it to reduce slightly. Remove from the heat, then bring back to a high simmer if using immediately. Remember to re-emulsify the broth with an immersion blender before serving.

2. Make the miso tare: Stir together the three types of miso until well mixed. Heat the oil or fat in a small saucepan over a medium-high heat, then add the onion, garlic and ginger. Sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until everything softens and begins to colour, then add roughly half of the miso mixture and continue to cook for another seven to eight minutes, until the miso darkens as well. Whisk in the sake and boil for three to four minutes to cook off the alcohol, then add the sesame oil, sesame seeds and the cream. Bring to the boil and cook for another three to four minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, leave to cool for a few minutes, then whisk in the Ovaltine, cheese, shōyu and remaining miso mixture. Transfer everything to a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

3. Make the garlic sesame oil: Pour the vegetable oil and one tablespoon of the sesame oil into a small saucepan and stir in the garlic, ensuring that none of the slices are stuck to each other. Set over a low heat and cook gently for about 15 minutes, stirring often, until the garlic is evenly golden brown (the reason for keeping the heat low is to cook off all of the garlic’s moisture before it begins to colour). Once the garlic is lightly browned (we’re looking for gold, not bronze), remove it with a slotted spoon, fork or similar, drain on paper towels and leave to cool. Leave the oil to cool for about 10 minutes, then tip into a jar and add the remaining sesame oil. Once the garlic chips have cooled, crush them into small pieces and keep in an airtight container lined with paper towels.

4. Make the toppings: Have all of your veg prepped and ready to go, because the cooking here should be very quick. In a wok or frying pan, heat the lard or oil over a high heat and add the onion and mince and stir-fry for a couple minutes, then add the cabbage and carrot and continue to stir-fry for two to three minutes until everything is wilted but still crunchy. Add the bean sprouts and mangetout and continue to stir-fry for another two to three minutes, then add the pepper and salt and/or MSG (use this sparingly, or not at all, if you’re going to boil the mixture in seasoned soup). Stir-fry for a further two minutes or so, then remove from the heat and stir in the sesame or aroma oil.

5. Build the ramen: You can build this bowl as you would any other ramen, but I think it’s tastier the way many shops in Sapporo do it, which is to combine everything in a wok and then transfer it to the bowl. Start with the stir-fry and when it’s done, stir in the tare, then the broth. Whisk to combine and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, cook the noodles in a separate pot of boiling water, and when they’re done, drain well and tip them into bowls. Pour the broth from the wok over the noodles along with the stir-fried and boiled veg, keeping the veg on top of the noodles as you portion them out. The fat can either be added to the bowl or to the wok; if you add it to the wok it will become emulsified with the broth upon boiling, but it will taste the same. If topping with butter and corn, add cold butter at the last minute, just before serving.

Ramen Forever: Recipes For Ramen Success by Tim Anderson is published by Hardie Grant, priced £26. Photography by Laura Edwards. Available now.